So much for a ceasefire. Within 90 minutes, Israel announced that Hamas fired on their soldiers and kidnapped a 2nd Lt. First off, if this is true, that’s a big deal for the Jewish State which values every soldier far more than any other nation. They traded 1,000 prisoners a few years ago for a soldier who was held for four years. They have traded prisoners or given into demands to recover the remains of deceased men. They truly practice the idea of “Leave No One Behind.”

As for the ceasefire, both sides are blaming each other. Israel said their troops came under attack, two were killed and one taken. Hamas says the IDF shelled a town (which, btw, was in the area of the attack).

A top Hamas official in Cairo confirmed the abduction but said it was carried out before the truce began.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Secretary of State John F. Kerry in telephone call Friday afternoon that the cease-fire was broken by Hamas and that the Islamist group and other Palestinian militant factions “will bear the consequences of their actions,” according to Netanyahu’s office.

“The cease-fire is over,” said Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a senior spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces. Ground operations will continue, he said, “and our aircraft are in the sky as we speak.”

And in the end, the people of the area suffer as the two sides can’t get along. I have my own opinion as to who is to blame but will just remain quiet. To me, ti’s pretty clear.